Marcus Richards
I design stunning and memorable visual identities that take small businesses and startups to the next level, helping them become brands that are hard to forget.
My goal is simple: do great work, provide positive change and bring smiles to faces.
Tell us about yourself?
The short answer – my love for gaming in my teens! I started teaching myself how to use design software when I was 13/14, mostly because my friends knew I was good at it and started putting in requests.
In a way this was my first ‘real’ taste of what a career in design could look like. The feeling I got from bringing visions to life as I so often say, was amazing.
I continued to polish up my skills over the years during and after school, but it wasn’t until I left and worked a few jobs that didn’t really appeal to me, that I started to think about whether design was an avenue that I could go into. Something that I knew I was good at and also passionate about at the same time.
When I landed my first design related job at a local video games studio, this is where I started to take design seriously. I was given a lot of responsibility in a short period of time being that I was part of a small tight-nit team, some of which involved creating assets for a mobile game that to this day, has my work in. That was incredible.
Up until that point I had been treating design as a hobby but after seeing the impact my work was having, grown a lot of confidence in what I was doing, and decided to start up my own design business where I could continue doing what I love but be more hands on and in control of projects and the outcomes.
This took some adjusting, I didn’t quite know who I wanted to work with or what I wanted to work on straight away, but after some time and experience taking on projects I soon found out that what I love the most is working with businesses from the ground up on their logos or full brand identity.
For businesses that are in early stages of branding, have an idea for their visuals but don’t quite know how to put the pieces together. This is where I come in.
I get great satisfaction from being able to help small businesses and startups establish strong identities that bolster the great work they’re doing. The feeling I get is still the same as when I was a hobbyist but on a larger scale now, being able to directly impact different businesses around the world.
If you could go back in time a year or two, what piece of advice would you give yourself?
Don’t be afraid to fail! Be open and honest with yourself, where you make mistakes and how you can grow from them.
What problem does your business solve?
I help businesses create timeless identities from the ground up so that they can become memorable and recognisable figures within their industries.
What is the inspiration behind your business?
What inspired my business is knowing how much of a hard time business owners often have finding and working with designers. The process can be very overwhelming and confusing.
Business owners often don’t get to enjoy the creative process for what it’s, and that’s something that’s should be fun and exciting.
Which is why I’ve made it my mission to make bringing your vision to life, as straightforward as it can be. I’ve built processes over time that make it easy to get involved and follow along, knowing that a professional is taking care of things, every step of the way.
What is your magic sauce?
Everything I do, is to benefit my clients! I’m not a designer that provides cookie cutter processes or work that you can get anywhere else. When you come to me it’s because you want a collaborator, someone that will offer you expert advice, guidance and an experience that’s hard to come by. I see myself as more of a dependable partner to my clients, rather than a service provider.
What is the plan for the next 5 years? What do you want to achieve?
In the next 5 years I’d love to transition from being a freelancer to owning a studio. I often find myself giving advice to other freelancers or designers in the space, so having a platform where I can mentor and provide consistent work to others (where freelancing can be quite erratic) would be brilliant.
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced so far?
The biggest challenge I’ve faced is knowing when to say no! When you run a freelance business, it’s easy to take on all manner of projects because you don’t know where the next will come from.
I’m at a point now in my career where I worry less about that, and do my due diligence to get to know clients before I make any decision. This makes it easier to spot any red flags before committing to a project, figure out whether we’re a good fit for one-another and be honest with myself in terms of whether I can impact the business in a positive way.
How do people get involved/buy into your vision?
The easiest way to get in touch with me is either through my website https://penna.design or to drop me a quick line at [email protected].
If you’re a business owner that’s either in need of a logo or brand identity system, or exploring ways to improve on an existing identity then I’m your man. I’m always open to having a chat.
I just released a free service on my website too where all you need to do is fill in a quick form, tell me about your logo, what issues you have (if any), and I’ll get back to you with some actionable insight that’ll help you take your design to where it needs to be. So I’d highly recommend checking that out!
